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Henna tattoos
Medical expert of the article
Last reviewed: 06.07.2025

Nowadays, there is a fashionable tendency to decorate your body with an original design. In other words, many people are tempted by the idea of getting a tattoo. But, since fashion changes and each person's tastes are fickle, not everyone decides on a long-term "decoration" of a tattoo. Therefore, practicing beauty salons offer an alternative solution to the problem - a temporary henna tattoo. But first, let's look at some of the nuances associated with tattoos.
It should be noted that temporary henna tattoos have nothing in common with real tattoos. It is important to understand some aspects here. If the artist claims that this tattoo will decorate the body for a long time (months and even years), you should stay away from such a salon. Everything is explained quite simply - such temporary tattoos do not exist.
Also, salons offer to make a temptu tattoo, claiming that this tattoo is considered temporary, but will last a long time (3-5 years). The peculiarity of such a tattoo is as follows: it is pricked at a small depth of the skin layer (no more than 4 mm), and is also limited in color and size (no more than 5 cm). Temptu is done with paints used for permanent makeup. The main components of these paints are: isopropyl alcohol, iron oxide, titanium dioxide, distilled water, glycerin or ethylene glycol.
These paints are the "pitfall" of this tattoo. Since the paint components are unstable compounds, according to the laws of chemistry, they should completely disappear after a certain time. But in fact, something else happens. The drawing becomes faded, eventually turning into a blurry spot that remains forever "showing off" on the skin.
As a result, there are two options to fix the situation - either get a real tattoo or resort to an expensive laser removal procedure. To avoid this, it is better to decorate your body with a temporary henna tattoo. Such a tattoo can be done either with the help of a master or independently. Henna tattoos generally last from 5 days to 2 weeks.
Preparation
- Choose the location of the tattoo. There is an important point here - do not make a tattoo on the site of the previous one, as the skin does not like constant external irritants.
- Before the procedure (1 day before), it is recommended to avoid direct sunlight on the tattoo site, and you should also refrain from visiting a solarium.
- Preparing the skin. It is necessary to degrease it by treating it with alcohol or washing it thoroughly with soap. If the skin has a rough structure, it is necessary to smooth it with a hard washcloth or peeling. The smoother the skin, the more certain it is that the design will last longer.
- Remove all hairs from the intended application site. This is due to the fact that henna tends to stay on hair longer. As a result, the pattern on the skin will fade, but the color of the hairs will remain for some time, reminding you of the former decoration.
Technique henna tattoos
Various henna paintings on the body (mehndi, mehendi) are temporary tattoos. They are distinguished by the fact that they last much longer than other temporary types of tattoos (for example, paint). They are widely spread in North Africa, India, Malaysia, Arab countries, Indonesia.
Mehndi on hands looks very beautiful and sophisticated. For lovers of nature and wildlife, images of animals, birds, insects, etc. are suitable. Mythical animals (dragons) are often depicted on hands. Such drawings are distinguished by a magical shimmer when the hands move. Tattoos with images of vegetation (vines, flowers, leaves) will emphasize almost any image. For ceremonial ceremonies, images in the form of elegant patterns and openwork lace are ideal.
Another original type of henna tattoo on hands is tribal tattoo. It is applied in several ways - uniform pattern, pattern with 3D effect and pattern with embossing. Also distinguished by originality are phrases painted in Latin or Chinese characters. Such a tattoo looks mysterious and enigmatic. But when choosing a phrase, it is important to know its exact translation to avoid ridiculous situations.
Henna tattoos on the body, depending on the chosen design, emphasize both feminine grace, sophistication and sexuality, as well as masculine strength. Particularly popular for tattooing are such body parts as the forearm, outer side of the shin, back, and umbilical area.
Applying a henna tattoo at home
Ingredients required for the procedure:
- henna powder;
- lemon juice (squeeze 2 lemons and strain);
- aromatic oil;
- regular sugar;
- a small bowl made of plastic or glass;
- small spoon;
- bag (preferably plastic);
- a plastic bottle with a small hole, a polyethylene bag in the shape of a cone with a small slit, a medical syringe with a removed needle (optional, as an applicator);
- a wide flat stick, toothpick or brush (used depending on the width of the design);
Cooking Pasta
It should be noted that the paste is prepared a day before application. To obtain 100g of paste, 20g of henna is required. This amount is enough for coloring from the hands to the elbows. The next point - if the selected design contains thin lines (applied with a medical syringe), before preparation it is necessary to sift the henna powder through a fine sieve.
So, let's get started with the cooking process:
- Add ¼ cup lemon juice to 1 heaped tablespoon of henna powder (20 g). Mix thoroughly until all lumps are dissolved. In this case, the mixture should have a thick consistency (like mashed potatoes). Pack the container with the resulting mixture in a tightly sealed plastic bag (to prevent the mixture from coming into contact with air). Put the bag in a warm place (the temperature should be 24-25 degrees) and leave for half a day.
- After 12 hours, open the bag and add 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1 teaspoon of essential oil to the mixture. Sugar is added to ensure that the design contacts the skin more closely. Essential oil gives the design a darker and more stable color. Mix the ingredients thoroughly. Next, the finished mixture must be brought to the optimal consistency. To do this, gradually add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to the composition, stirring constantly until the mixture reaches the consistency of thick sour cream or toothpaste. After this, the container with the finished mixture is hermetically sealed in a bag again and kept warm for half a day. After the required time has passed, the paste is ready. You can begin the mehndi procedure.
How to make a henna tattoo. Application technique
On the eve of the procedure, it is advisable to test the skin's tolerance to eucalyptus oil. To do this, apply a drop of paste, eucalyptus oil and vegetable oil to the elbow at night. Check the reaction in the morning. If there are no signs of allergy (redness, itching), then you can safely proceed to painting. Another important point is that the procedure should be carried out in warm conditions.
- If you are getting a tattoo for the first time, it would be better to first apply the design with a cosmetic pencil or a water-based marker. Once the design is complete, they can be easily erased with a swab soaked in vegetable oil.
- Fill the applicator with paste.
- Lubricate the place of the future tattoo with eucalyptus oil (use no more than 3 drops). This is important. The essence of the matter is the fact that eucalyptus oil has the property of increasing the drying time of the paste, thereby improving its effectiveness. The oil also expands the pores of the skin, which helps to accelerate the penetration of the paint. It is also important that eucalyptus oil makes the color of the paint more saturated.
- Apply paint along the contours of the design, squeezing it out of the applicator in a thin line. Make sure that the tip of the applicator does not touch the skin. Usually, the paste is applied in a 3 mm layer. An important nuance is that it is better to start applying paint with thin lines, then move on to straight lines and finish the work with rounded details of the design. It is also important to remember that henna is very quickly absorbed into the skin, so if you make any mistake, you need to quickly wipe off the paint with a cotton swab. During the work, the design must be constantly moistened with lemon juice.
- When painting very thin lines, you can use a toothpick or a thin stick, dipping them into the paint. And vice versa - wide lines are painted with a wide stick (like an ice cream stick).
- To get a lighter tone of the drawing, you need to spread the paste in a thin layer with a wide stick. To get a darker tone, the paste layer is thickened. In such cases, you can also use basma. To do this, mix the basma with a small amount of paste using ordinary hot water. As a result, the color will be more brown than orange.
- Basically, the pattern is drawn by hand, but if you doubt your artistic abilities, it is better to use a special stencil (template technique). Or make a stencil with your own hands, which is quite easy. The easiest option is to use adhesive film. First, the pattern you like is cut out on the film, then the film is tightly glued to the tattoo site and paint is applied on top. As you can see, it is quite possible to make a henna tattoo yourself.
Some recipes for henna tattoos
- Recipe #1
Add lemon juice (half a lemon) and 2 tablespoons of sugar to half a cup of strong tea. Mix the resulting solution thoroughly with henna powder (until it reaches the consistency of thick sour cream). Leave for 20 minutes. Place the finished paste in an applicator. If necessary, store this mixture in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days.
- Recipe #2
You will need: red henna powder, black tea bags, coffee, eucalyptus oil, date oil, clove oil.
Add 2 tea bags, 2 teaspoons of coffee and 2 teaspoons of date oil to 400 ml of water. Boil the mixture for 1 hour on low heat. Cool to 20-22 degrees (room temperature). Strain through a fine sieve. Add henna powder to the resulting solution, stirring constantly. Bring the mixture to the consistency of a thick paste and leave in a cool place for 3 hours. Add 5 drops of clove and eucalyptus oil to the resulting paste. Mix everything thoroughly.
- Recipe #3
Add 3 teaspoons of lemon juice and 3 drops of olive oil to one cup of strong tea or coffee. Add about 4-5 tablespoons of henna powder to the resulting solution. The result should be the consistency of thick sour cream. If necessary, the resulting paste can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 20 days.
- Recipe #4
You will need: red henna powder, orange water, rose water, lemon juice (infused in the sun for about 12 hours) and black tea (brewed overnight).
Add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to 1 cup of tea and stir. Then add red henna powder to the solution and stir thoroughly.
Before the mehndi procedure, the tattoo area is treated with orange and rose water.
Complications after the procedure
Complications after the procedure (allergic reaction, chemical burn, contact dermatitis) most often arise from the fact that some masters add harmful ingredients to natural henna: various dyes or black henna. Natural red henna has a rusty-red tint. To avoid complications after a tattoo, you should not be lazy to study the composition of the paint that you are going to use for mehndi, and also conduct a tolerance test, which was discussed above.
Very often complications arise due to an unreasonable attitude to henna tattooing – constant use on the site of a previous tattoo. As a result – eczema, irritation of the mucous membrane, lichen.
So, let's sum it up. Temporary henna tattoos are a safe and painless, even pleasant procedure in some ways. Mehndi can be done at home even by a beginner. But there are still certain rules for painting on the body, and they must be followed. It is the observance of all recommendations that will lead to your body being not only beautiful, but also healthy.
Care after the procedure
The tattoo must be dried in a warm place (preferably in the sun or under an infrared lamp). The longer the henna dries, the brighter the pattern will be. During the drying process, the tattoo must be periodically moistened with lemon juice and sugar (proportion - 2:1). After the paint has dried, its excess can be scraped off with a stick, but do not wash it off! After removing the paste, the pattern is treated with almond oil (to give the color brightness and gloss). You can also use sesame oil. Subsequently, it is advisable to repeat this process.
It is necessary to be careful with all water procedures. It is better to replace a hot bath with a warm shower. Before bathing, the tattoo should be lubricated with vegetable oil. Any oil will do for this, except Vaseline and baby oil.
The more the design is wetted with water, the faster it will come off. It is not advisable to wash the tattoo area with soap, only rinse it lightly with water.
You will have to refrain from intense sports and sauna visits for a while – temporary henna tattoos do not like excessive sweating. It is also not recommended to shave or do hair removal in the area where the tattoo is applied.
If you fully adhere to these tips for care after the henna painting procedure, the design will last up to 14 days or even more.
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